New Ulm weekly review., 1887-09-21
COUNTY, MIMI,

), WEDNESDAY, Septe
recognized BY Ring and Ingeborg. He
spends the winter with the royal couple.
At one time the king and queen try to
cross frozen lake. The ice breaks
and the sleigh is sinking. But Frithiof
is near. He seizes the horses name
and lifts horse and sleigh upon the ice.
On another occasion Frithiof finds him
self alone with Ring in wood. The
king pretends to be drowsy and rests
his head on the knees Of his guest.
Frithiof listens to the song of black
bird that bids him slay the sleeping
king. He draws his sword and--dings
it into the dark wood. Ring now. opens
his eyes. Moved by the magnanimity
of his guest, and feeling that death is
near, he bequeaths to Frithiof his crown
and his queen. But Frithiof, the exile,
cannot accept the offer. He is ready to
intrust his fate once more to the sea.
Rings now cuts death-runes into his
breast and arm, and dies, soliciting
Frithiof's protection for his land, his
son and Ipgeborg. Frithiof, PEASANTS
son, lis now chosen regent by the people.
AT his fathers grave the Nornes enjoin
him to apppease the wrath Of the sum
god by building another temple on the
rock. At the new altar, the high-priest
Of, Balder revokes the ban. Hedge hav.
ing perished in Finland, Frithiof is rec
onciled to Halfdan and united forever
with Ingeborg.
The poetry of the north must needs
differ from that of the south. The
Frithiofs Saga depicts the nature of the
regions that lie toward the midnight sun,
not only in the description of scenery, but
also in its effects upon the leading char
acters of the poem. Amid the struggle of
the elements, Frithiof becomes hero
of action. He has learned not only to
handle the sword and triumph over the
storms of the deep, but also to hold in
chech his own passionate nature. With
bodily strength he unites that openness
and nobility Of character which seem to
be inhaled with the pure air Of the
north. When he does wrong, he is ev-
er ready to atone for it. lngeborg, con-
scious of her duty, refuses to follow him
to Angantyr's realm. He turns from
her, proudly exclaiming.
''Valan, farval, farval, kung Helges
I sVster,
She entreats him not to depart
thus, and describes the conflict of
love and duty in her breast. He asks
her forgiveness, and takes the most af-
fectionate leave of her. Having ar
rived on the island, he is attacked by
Atle, formidable warrior. Atle's
sword breaks. Frithiof Immediately
drops his own sword and fights without
a weapon. After an exciting conflict,
Frithiof prostrates his enemy. He
seizes his sword and raises his arm to
strike the fatal blow. But he stops the
blade, and extends the hand of friend.
ship to his conquered. foe.
In each of the tBenty-four songs of
the Saga, the meter accords with the
content. The stately hexameter is en-
ployed in relating the traditions con-
nected with Frithiof's $ arm-ring, sword
and!ship. The touching scene in which
the hero bids farewell to Ingeborg, is
described in heroic verse, the kind most
freqently employed in the dramatic
poetry of the Germanic nations. In the
ninth song, the meter itself by its peculi-
ar abruptness expresssesIngeborg' half
subdued despair. The account Of Firth
iof's struggle with the tempest that
threatens to crush and sink his vessel, is
a masterpieces of descriptive poetry.
The alienation of anapestic and tro-
chaic stanzas suggests the rise and fall
of the foaming waves, and the blending
of the rolling thunder with the roar of
the deep. Here the harsh elements of the
Swedish tongue are in their place; they
impart to the description degree Of life
and power unattainable in the languages
of warmer climes. On the other hand,
the Saga contains great many passag-
es as smooth and musical as the sweet.
est lyrics of the daughters of the Latin
tongue.
i The Verdict Unanimous.